the garden

April is the time to start a Spring veggie garden. Even if you have very little space, you can still grow your own greens. Here’s how:

Choose what you want to grow based on what you like to eat and what will grow well in your sun setting. I have had the most luck over the years with arugula. For some reason, I can grow arugula anywhere. If arugula’s not your top pick, consider growing lettuce (loose leaf mixes are great for containers), spinach, bok choy, swiss chard, or kale.

Give your plants good soil. If you have an in-ground garden, make sure you’ve amended the soil with compost. If you are starting from scratch and growing in containers, use a quality potting mix. I like Dr. Earth’s Pot of Gold if you are going organic.

Sow your seeds. Follow the instructions on the seed packets. Seed planting depth is proportional to seed size. For the tiny greens seeds, this means covering them with a ¼ inch of soil. Spread your seeds on the soil surface, and sprinkle with soil.

Consistently water your newly planted seeds. This is the most important requirement for successful seed starting. The soil should always be a little damp.

Thin seedlings. If you’ve overplanted (hard to avoid with tiny seeds), just cut excess seedlings at the soil surface. Use them as a salad topper. You just grew your own micro-greens!

Keep watering regularly and soon you will be able to harvest your own greens. Many varieties are cut-and-come-again. You can cut a third of a plant’s leaves an inch above the soil line, and it will regrow up to three times. Resow every few weeks for a continual harvest all season.​

I'd love to see what you’re growing this year! Post a photo of your garden or what you’re doing in nature this Spring on the Facebook or Instagram and tag #leeleesgarden.

Hi I'm Leelee! I'm a botanical artist, educator and owner of Leelee's Garden. I host pop-up plant and flower workshops around the country, do design projects, and just started this mini magazine to share more of what I love! Look around and let me know what you think!